Millennium Magazine_5th Ed

215 Millennium - A Marquis Who’s Who Magazine E ver since volunteering to give a rabbit anesthesia during a dissection in her high school biology class, Pauline C. Barbin had her sights set on becoming a nurse anesthetist. She went on to receive a diploma from St. Louis Hospital in 1954 and a certificate from Carney Hospital in 1956. Later in life, she graduated with a Bachelor of Science, magna cum laude, from Thomas College in 1980 and a Master of Education from the University of Maine in 1983. When the Eastern Maine Medical Center started the first school of anesthesia in the state of Maine, Ms. Barbin was the first woman to be the chief nurse anesthetist. Eventually, Ms. Barbin worked her way up to serve as the director of the School of Anesthesia and director of complex surgery. After spearheading the school, Ms. Barbin was instrumental in Maine’s anesthesia community, and soon she became the president of the Maine Association of Nurse Anesthetists. Today, Ms. Barbin is a member of the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists and their council on accreditation, the Maine Association of Nurse Anesthetists, and the New England Assembly of Nurse Anesthetists. For her inimitable efforts in the medical education field, Ms. Barbin was the recipient of the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists’ Helen Lamb Outstanding Educator Award, which she calls the highlight of her career. Over the years, Ms. Barbin has noticed major changes in the field, specifically in technology. She has noticed great improvements in technology to aid in the profession, and she tells her students they are very lucky to have the advanced technology now that she did not have when her career began in the 1950s. Ms. Barbin feels grateful to be part of such a rewarding career. She thanks her mentors Dr. Clement Dwyer, the chief anesthesiologist at Eastern Maine Medical Center, and Sylvia Durepos, her best friend, for greatly influencing her career and character. PAULINE C. BARBIN, CRNA ACADEMIC DIRECTOR Eastern Maine Medical Center Bangor, ME HEALTH AND WELLNESS